The Crying of Lot 49 - Chapter 4

Vocabulary

Philatelist - a collector of stamps
Marauders - someone who roves and raids in search of plunder

After reading chapter four of Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, I feel like the focus of the novel has shifted slightly. In the previous three chapters, Oedipa Maas was mostly concerned with dealing with the affairs of the recently deceased Pierce Inverarity. However, the focus of the fourth chapter seemed to be more centered around discovering the meanings of the muted horn symbol and W.A.S.T.E. However, some themes of the novel thus far continue throughout chapter four, specifically her constant involvement with men. It seems as though everyone even remotely involved in the Pierce affair is a male, as well as other seemingly insignificant characters in the novel, such as the two men on the bench at the beginning of the chapter whose hands "alternately kept falling onto her thighs." Oedipa seems to attract men from all around, and she frequently attempts to use her allure to gain information to answer her multitude of questions. However, this chapter overall seemed to frustrate Oedipa. While she constantly questions people about the muted horn symbol, no one so far is willing to inform her of anything helpful. In fact, the mute in the horn seems to parallel the mute nature of the people who know the secrets of it, as well as the extreme secrecy of the situation. After reading chapter four, I'm a little concerned that Oedipa has bitten off more than she can chew with the Pierce case, and that some enormous secret about Pierce's life will soon be exposed.